Japanese Casual Dining Comes to 86th Street

Kobeyaki, a casual-dining Japanese restaurant with outposts in Chelsea and Midtown West, has opened on E. 86th St. on the Upper East Side.
The restaurant, at 215 E. 86th St. off of Third Avenue, is the work of three partners, who bring a breadth of experience to the neighborhood.There’s Brian Kelly, a 17-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, Brian Konopka, a nice Polish boy from Greenpoint, who spent more than a decade at Le Cirque, and Salvador Barrera, the chef from Mexico City who learned to cook Japanese in L.A. and Japan. “We started about three years ago with a really great concept,” Kelly said. “We want this to be a national chain. We plan to have hundreds!”
After leaving the world of upscale restaurants, Konopka worked as a restaurant consultant. “I discovered I love Japanese food,” he said. “It feels healthy. The energy of the food comes from lean protein and
fresh vegetables. The flavors - ginger, soy, wasabi - are really
pungent, and the foods don’t pack so many calories. lt’s lots of lavor
without all the guilt.”
Barrera brings a bit of romance to his kitchen. “This is a dream that I had years ago - to one day, become a restaurant owner and,
here we are, in our third store,” he said.
How had he chosen Japanese cuisine as his specialty? “I got trained in L. A., working side by side with Japanese chefs, and in 2006, visited Japan for more culinary experience. Brian (Konopka) and I worked together, and he introduced
me to Brian Kelly. Together, we had this dream.”
Kobeyaki’s main dishes include rolls - cooked, raw or broiled; assorted
“bowls” - meats or vegetables on a base of rice, salad or noodles; soups, and assorted burgers and buns. Meals range in price from about
nine to ten dollars. Sides or deserts add another three to four dollars
to the bill. In addition to soft drinks, beer, wine or sake are
available.
The setting is a serve yourself, buzzer alert, causal
dinning atmosphere, yet without much clatter or noise.
There are no private party rooms at Kobeyaki, but off-site catering is
available.
The restaurant is located a 215 East 86th Street; 212 860 2300; or online at
www.kobeyaki.com